garbled

adjective

gar·​bled ˈgär-bəld How to pronounce garbled (audio)
: made unclear or confusing : distorted or mixed up
a garbled message
garbled speech
… scientific cranks—those folks who concoct garbled and grandiose pseudo-scientific theories …Robert W. Wilson
A garbled group of syllables came over the speaker.Tom Clancy
But so much happened afterward to him that his five-day drive from Cracow to Warsaw soon became a garbled fading memory.Herman Wouk
Since the algorithm relies on the absolute accuracy of everything it has read to build the file, garbled information could lead to any number of mistakes.Paul C. Schuytema

Examples of garbled in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But that language in the bill is a garbled mess that appears only to apply only to $50,000 in non-economic damages and is contradicted elsewhere in the bill. Mark Hillman, Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2025 But Ackerman's defense attorney, Jack Swerling argues the audio is too garbled to prove anything. Anne-Marie Green, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2025 Travis is one of the most vacuous stars the major labels have ever produced, a machine for turning the work of more interesting rappers into garbled playlist slop. Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 14 Apr. 2025 The first pass turned some of the garbled text into something more usable. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for garbled

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1757, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of garbled was circa 1757

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Cite this Entry

“Garbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garbled. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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